Southern California -- this just in

Egg recall expands; several California stores affected

August 18, 2010 | 11:22
pm

Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, one of the largest egg producers in the country, has recalled at least 228 million eggs connected to a salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds of people across the nation, including as many as 266 in California.

The eggs also were linked to a number of illnesses reported in June and July in Colorado and Minnesota, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreak led to a surge in reports of infection with the bacteria salmonella enteritidis this summer -- at least four times the expected number, the agency said in a statement.

Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and can be fatal to young children and older people. No deaths so far have been reported in connection with the egg recall.

The recalled eggs were sold to food-service companies, restaurants and food wholesalers in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Some of those buyers, in turn, sold the eggs to other food outlets across the country, according to a company statement.

According to the FDA, the potentially contaminated eggs were found to have been packaged under 13 brands, including the store brands of Albertsons, Ralphs and Safeway's Lucerne Foods; the store brand of Midwestern and Virginia grocery chain Farm Fresh; and the Boomsma's, Dutch Farms, Hillandale, Kemps, Lund, Mountain Dairy, Shoreland, Sunshine and Trafficanda brands.

More details on the egg recall are available in this article from The Times' Business section.